Life of An Actor
by bkwyrm16
Summary: Harry's friends feel he is keeping secrets from him, but are distracted by the announcement that an acting troup will be visiting the school. However, secrets won't stay secrets for long as the curtain rises. HP/SB. Adopted from Rainbowstripes!
1. The Announcement

A/N: Alright, so this used to belong to Rainbowstripes but she let me take it over. The first two chapters will basically remain the same, with only minor editing.

* * *

The students and staff of Hogwarts were sitting at their tables, waiting for Dumbledore's announcement to begin the welcoming feast. The aged man stood up and silence fell.

"Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts. I would like to remind you that the Forbidden Forest is just that, forbidden. It is not the sparkly rainbow forest as Messrs Potter, Weasley, Weasley and Granger declared last year."

He said with an amused glare towards the quartet at the Gryffindor table, who gave the school innocent looks.

"Also, the usual list of forbidden items is on the door of Mr. Filch's office. And finally, as our newly instated drama club has been going so well, I have found a cast willing to come to Hogwarts and put on a performance. They are one of the top acting groups in the Muggle West End, but are actually a mix of wizards, witches, squibs and Muggles, who go by the name 'The Lightning Squad'. They will be arriving in a month, and staying for a few days. I will say more closer to the time of their arrival. Now, tuck in!"

He called over the excited whispers. The tables filled with food and people immediately dug in, talking furiously to each other about the arriving actors. No one saw Dumbledore give Harry Potter an almost invisible wink, and receive one in return.

* * *

"So, Harry, I know you're not in drama, but what do you think about this acting troupe? I wonder what they'll be performing! Maybe we'll get to put on a play for them! I've seen them perform once, last Christmas; they did a really good version of _The Phantom of the Opera_. The Phantom was really young, but he was amazing."

Hermione gushed to the two amused boys.

"Whoa. Breathe, Hermione. Why don't you wait a month until they're actually here. Harry, haven't you got one of your lessons with Dumbledore tonight?"

Ron asked through a mouthful of roast beef. Harry nodded, gulping down some pumpkin juice.

"Yeah, if I'm back late, don't worry about it. So, how were your summers?"

He asked, steering the conversation onto safer grounds. After he defeated Voldemort in his 5th year, he'd been living with Remus, and occasionally Sirius when he wasn't hunting for Pettigrew. It was only this summer that he'd caught the rat, proving himself innocent. Since then, he'd stayed permanently with Harry and Remus, and had started a relationship with the emerald-eyed teen now that Harry was of legal age.

The 7th years finished their dinner and parted ways, Harry to the headmaster's office and the others to Gryffindor tower.

Harry muttered the password, "Fainting fancies", and rode the staircase up to the office. He opened the door to find the headmaster already behind his desk, sucking on a lemon drop. The old wizard grinned when the teen walked in.

"Ah, Harry, I trust you liked my announcement?"

He asked. Harry smirked at him.

"Yes, I just wish David had told me we were going to perform here. They're all going to recognize me, you know."

He pointed out, collapsing over 'his chair' (He was in there so much they had actually christened his favorite chair and carved his name on it, as they had with his favorite Hospital Wing bed) and running a hand through his hair.

Dumbledore's grin widened.

"Is that a bad thing? Think about it, you're already on thin ice with your friends because they think you don't like them doing drama when you can't watch some of their plays."

"I'm sorry, but they admit they've butchered it slightly for the purebloods, but they haven't. They've completely mutilated it! I just can't stand to watch people wreck such good pieces of drama. You know that as well as I do."

He admitted. Dumbledore nodded sagely.

"I know. Also, you won't have to keep sneaking off under the guise of lessons with me. Plus, you can take off your glamour, I don't know why you didn't do that in the first place, but each to his own, I guess."

He shrugged.

Harry knew he was talking about the glamour that kept him looking like a pale, scrawny teen, when in reality he was tanned and sculpted.

Harry smirked.

"Aww, but it'll be so fun shocking them, just give me an alibi for the week when I'm rehearsing, then I'll let them know at the end of the play. By the way, got a favorite you'd like us to perform? Please say something, or David will have us doing Saturday Night Fever, and I hate my character in that."

He pleaded.

Dumbledore chuckled.

"I've always been rather fond of _Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat_, but I really don't mind, so long as it is…appropriate for the younger years."

He said with a twinkle in his eye.

Harry slapped his thigh.

"Damn, no Full Monty then, shame, I'm sure a lot of people would have enjoyed that." He teased.

Dumbledore smiled, his eyes twinkling, before Harry pulled out a pendant with a lightening bolt on it, the symbol for his acting group, and waved to the headmaster.

"I'll see you in a few hours." He said.

"Good luck with your performance." The headmaster replied as Harry disappeared.

* * *

Three hours later, Fawkes and his master looked up as a tired Harry Potter landed back in a chair in the office.

Albus smiled.

"Ah, there you are, my boy, how did it go?" He asked, summoning a glass of water for the young man, who drank it gratefully.

"Great, they loved us, although I did hear some comments from a few ladies that a 17 year old should not be doing that, especially not on stage." He said with a wry grin.

"Oh, and what were you performing tonight that you shouldn't be?" The Professor asked amusedly.

"Dirty Dancing, I was Johnny." Harry replied, earning a raised eyebrow from his companion.

"I see, well, I'd better let you rest then. Goodnight."

Harry nodded to Dumbledore and left the office, strolling down to his Head Boy's rooms where he knew Ron and Hermione would be waiting up for him, considering Hermione was Head Girl and Ron either slept with her or on the sofa in the common room most nights. Sure enough, he opened his portrait to find the two sitting by the fire, Ron playing chess against himself and Hermione reading a book. They looked up as he sprawled over an armchair.

"Hey mate, how'd it go?" Ron asked, looking up from where a white pawn was being smashed to pieces.

"Great, I'm really tired though, I get worked really hard during these lessons." He said.

It was only a half lie, he did get worked hard, but he was performing. Hermione gave him an eager look.

"Harry, you have to tell me some of the things you learned! Please!" She begged.

Harry inwardly rolled his eyes but grinned at his honorary sister.

"Later, 'Mi, I'm going to bed. Don't stay up too late you two." He said, a sly grin on his face.

He ducked a pillow to the head and darted up the stairs to his room.


	2. The Troupe Arrives

The month passed fairly quickly, with Harry disappearing for 'lessons' three times a week with no one the wiser, and soon it was time for the actors to arrive.

Dumbledore arranged it so the drama club would meet the cast and crew as they started to set up during lunch. The professors had found a large room just off the Great Hall that was supposedly used for weapons duels back in olden times.

Harry's alibi would be that he was either visiting Sirius and Remus, or researching a project with the Headmaster for the times when he was actually rehearsing.

The Drama Club, plus Sirius and Remus entered the room to find a mass of people moving props and sorting costumes, as well as one man who appeared to be about 28 years old, with brown hair and blue eyes directing the chaos.

He spotted them and smiled, motioning for them to come over.

"Hi, I'm David Baker, the troupe director. I basically make sure these idiots have everything in place and make sure they have the right play," he joked, jerking a thumb towards the crew.

A burly man flipped him off.

"We're not that stupid, it's only a couple of times we've gotten lines mixed up." He insisted.

David snorted.

"Says the guy who started quoting Shakespeare in the middle of a rehearsal for _RENT_." He retorted.

A few people snickered and the man glared, going back to lifting the backboard he was carrying.

"Anyway, most of those people are the stage crew, lighting, etcetera, a few of our actors do help with the stage, but most of them just stick to their corner and go over their parts." He explained, pointing to each group of people. The doors were still open and a young man in nothing but black leather trousers, soft black flats and a white _Phantom of the Opera_ mask came cartwheeling in, doing gymnastics and singing at the top of his voice.

"Oh, we're off to see the wizard! The wonderful wizard of Oz!"

David groaned as the man did a back flip and landed on his hands.

"Alright! Who let Jamie have coffee earlier?" He called out.

A young girl, no more than 11 or 12, put her hand up and giggled.

"He looked so tired, I thought he might need it!" She cried.

David rolled his eyes.

"Stage rule number 1, Sophie, never let Jamie have coffee." He said as Jamie stopped cartwheeling and stood beside David.

"Why can't I have coffee? Coffee is good." He protested, to a few giggles from the students.

"Jay, you're insane already, caffeine just makes it worse. Now, be a good boy and stop messing around before you break your neck." He said. "Right, everyone, this is Jamie Grim, he's our lead male/insane kid/occasional cross-dresser."

Jamie started sputtering.

"I only cross-dress when my script needs me to, I do not do it in my free time no matter how hot I look in a mini-skirt." He exclaimed.

Sophie shuddered.

"Please, Jamie, I did not need that image." She shouted across the room.

Jamie rolled his eyes under the mask.

"Soph, your dad's a porn star, you've seen worse!"

"But you forget, Jay, that you have also done porno, so shove it." She said sweetly.

"I have not done porn! There may have been scenes of nudity or sexual situations in some of the plays I've done, but that does not classify as porn." He yelled back at her.

David sighed and slapped a hand over Jamie's mouth.

"Children, please, we are not getting into an argument about who's done the most porn when impressionable students are here. Now go back to whatever you were doing, Sophie. Jay, you stay here, you're helping me answer questions until your coffee high is done, as I am not having you hanging lights in this state. Now, I'll tell you a little bit about Jamie and his part in our crew whilst he calms down, then I'll let you ask him some questions. After that, we'll let him get on with his warm-ups with Katie, our lead female. So, Jamie's 17, he usually plays lead male for when a young person is needed, he's been with us for 2 years, and has done several plays and musicals, such as _Phantom of the Opera_,_ Grease_,_ Joseph_,_ Romeo and Juliet_,_ Dirty Dancing_,_ Saturday Night Fever_,_ Macbeth_,_ RENT_,_ Wicked_, and _Wizard of Oz_, to name a few. He's one of the best actors we've had and will be performing in our show next week. Err, Jamie, d'ya think you could put on a shirt, or are you determined to show off to the ladies."

"Blokes." Jamie corrected.

"Blokes, ladies, same thing." David said, annoyed.

"Oh, I assure you, my friend, that blokes and ladies are decidedly different in many ways, such as men have…" He was cut off by David clamping a hand over his mouth.

"We really do not need to hear that. But, anyway, do you think you could put on a shirt, you're distracting people, girls AND guys." Jamie pouted, but drew a wand from his pocket and conjured a plain white muscle tee, which he slipped over his head.

"Spoil my fun, why don't you. Now, who's got questions?" He asked excitedly, rubbing his hands together. A few people put their hands up slowly.

"Yeah, you, blond kid." Jamie said, pointing to Draco Malfoy.

"Why on earth don't you set up the stage by magic, it's much quicker." He drawled.

"Because, most of the stage crew are Muggles, and us actors and actresses don't want to tire ourselves out by using large amounts of magic to prepare the sets. Plus, I find it always looks better done by hand. Okay, next, you." He pointed to Hermione.

"How come you're wearing the Phantom's mask already?" She asked nervously.

Jamie chuckled.

"I'm weird like that. I hate people seeing my face before a performance, apart from the crew, obviously, so I wear the mask. Lots of actors have things like that, lucky charms, rituals; they just help us get into our comfort zones. If you carry on acting, you'll probably find a weird habit of your own." He said, rocking on the balls of his feet.

He answered a couple more questions, before looking at his watch and swearing.

"Dammit, I need to go warm up, Dave, you lot. I'll see you around. Hey, where's Kay?" He asked, looking around. David shrugged.

"Somewhere in this room, call for her." He suggested.

Jamie nodded and turned to the hall.

"Sing for me, Angel of Music!" He sang in a deep voice that reverberated around the hall, making the students jump.

There was silence for a moment before high-pitched female vocalizing replied from a corner in the hall, similar to the scene in _Phantom of the Opera_.

"Sing!" Jamie sang, following the sound as the vocalizing raised an octave, ending in a high scream.

"Aha, there you are Katie, we gotta do warm ups," he said, going with the brunette woman to a secluded area where the rest of the cast was, presumably under a silencing charm.

David got the students attention and grinned.

"That was Jay and Kay's twisted little version of Marco Polo that they invented after they first did _Phantom of the Opera_ together. I've been told you watched the movie of the play, so you'll know which part it came from. Anyway, over here we have…" He carried on giving them a short tour, introducing them to the cast and crew in turn, and eventually finished back with the actors, who had finished warm-ups and were waiting to start. "Okay then, I'm sorry, but our actors are weird, and don't like people watching them rehearse, so I'm going to have to ask you to leave." David said.

There were a few protesting groans, but the Drama Club understood and left the hall.

Ron, Hermione and Ginny were just waiting for Sirius and Remus, but the two shooed them on.

"Go on, we just need to talk to Dave about something, we'll be there in a minute." Remus said, shutting the hall door behind them.

Jamie Grim immediately ran up and hugged them, taking his mask off in the process to reveal the unglamoured form of Harry Potter. Sirius laughed and kissed him lightly on the mouth.

"Good to see you too, love. You don't know how tempting you look right now, you bloody tease," he grumbled half-heartedly, wrapping an arm around the younger man's waist.

Harry grinned at him.

"Oh, but I think I do, besides, it was hot outside, and Alex stole my shirt," he whined, pointing accusingly at a man in his mid twenties with auburn hair, who in return held his arms up in surrender.

"I did no such thing! You took it off and threw it at me, asking me to look after it for you!" Alex cried defensively.

Sirius laughed.

"No worries, Alex, in fact, I may have to thank you for giving me this delicious view, then strangle you for testing my restraint in front of the kids!" He joked, tweaking one of Harry's nipples through the thin shirt, making him yelp.

"Sirius, leave him alone, he's got to work." Remus said, chuckling.

Sirius frowned at him, but gave Harry one last kiss and slapped him on the behind, sending him off towards the stage, laughing.

* * *

Later that evening, the Gryffindors sat around the fire in the common room, discussing the actors.

"That Jamie guy was so hot! And he's around our age as well." Parvati said, making Hermione snort.

"Oh, come on, he's obviously gay, didn't you hear him saying how he was after impressing the blokes?" She replied.

Lavender and Parvati rolled their eyes.

"So, a girl can dream, right?" Lavender said.

The girls got into an argument over who was the best looking actor, while the boys were drooling over Katie and the other actresses they met, describing them enthusiastically to those who weren't in Drama Club.

Harry sat there, listening amusedly as Seamus started going on about Olivia, a 25 year old young woman who Harry knew would love to hear about being described as "A goddess, and she had the most amazing figure", especially considering her fiancé was coming to watch the performance at the end of the week.

"Hey, guys, I'm going down to see Siri, 'kay?" he stated.

They all nodded and Seamus gave him a sly wink.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" He leered.

Harry stuck his head back through the portrait hole to face them.

"Oh, don't worry, that gives me plenty of options!" He called back, laughing as he left. Harry quickly made his way up to the private quarters Sirius and Remus shared and muttered the password to the portrait of a wolf, stag and dog in the forest. The dog yipped and the portrait swung open, so Harry walked in.

"Siri! You in?" He called.

One of the bedroom doors opened and Sirius stuck his head out, grinning.

"Harry! What brings you here?" He asked, coming to meet the young man and hugging him, leading him to a sofa.

"Hmm, well apart from the fact that I think I'd die from laughing if I heard one more person tell me their fantasies of us actors, Parvati's already convinced she can turn the lovely Jamie Grim to the straight side. Not a chance, in my humble opinion." He said with a small grin.

Sirius growled possessively and tightened his grip around the Gryffindor's waist.

"If they try anything, I'll hex them." He muttered into Harry's ear.

Harry chuckled.

"They won't try anything, love. Besides, even if they did, it wouldn't work. While I've got you and your incredibly sexy naked body, nothing in the world could possibly turn me straight." He said.

Sirius raised an eyebrow at him.

"Oh, and what if I'm not naked?" He teased.

"Then we'll just have to rectify that situation, won't we." Harry purred, flipping Sirius over and gazing down at him with a predatory glint in his eyes.

Just then the door swung open and Remus walked in, only just realizing what he'd interrupted.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake, you two are worse than rabbits!" He groaned as they glared up at him.

"We're not that bad Rem, but I am a 17 year old with raging hormones, and Siri's just a horny bastard."

Sirius made a protesting noise as Remus snickered, rolling his eyes.

"Come on you two, bed, and sleep. Harry's got rehearsals in the morning before lessons, and he does not need to be pepped up on potions and caffeine all morning. Go." He ordered.

The two looked at him sulkily but obeyed and went through the door that led to their bedroom.

When Remus was alone, he grinned to himself smugly.

"Good to know I can still order them about." He murmured happily before retreating to his own room.


End file.
